Poetry Collection 1

In “the beginning of the end of the world,” to what does the speaker compare the roaches? Choose two options.

• cooks

• drains

• priests

• dancers

• soldiers

In "the beginning of the end of the world," how does the end of the world fail to live up to the expectations of the speaker and her family?

• They are listening for a bang, but they hear only tapping.

• They expect to kill the roaches, but the roaches keep coming.

• They think that their kitchen is clean, but they discover it is filthy.

• They expect water to come out of the tap, but roaches appear instead.

In the chain reaction described at the beginning of "The Powwow at the End of the World," which of these events comes first?

• An Indian woman puts her shoulder to the Grand Coulee Dam.

• Several cities along the Columbia River are severely flooded.

• The dams on the Columbia River burst.

• The waters in the Pacific Ocean rise.

In "The Powwow at the End of the World," who or what does the speaker most clearly indicate would travel from the Pacific Ocean up the Columbia River to the Spokane River if the dams broke?

• Native Americans who have left the speaker's reservation

• the Indian woman who toppled the Grand Coulee Dam

• the speaker in the poem

• a waiting salmon

In "A Song on the End of the World," what is the white-haired old man doing as he makes his prophecy about the end of the world?

• He is singing a heartfelt song.

• He is looking for mysterious signs.

• He is completing a remarkable task.

• He is engaged in an everyday activity.

In "the beginning of the end of the world," what do the details about the speaker and her family show about their usual treatment of the roaches?

• They see the roaches as pests and try to get rid of them.

• They view and respect the roaches as spiritual leaders.

• They admire the roaches and envy their endurance.

• They like the roaches and even treat them as pets.

What does the speaker in "The Powwow at the End of the World" hope to be doing at the end of the world?

• fishing for salmon in the Columbia River

• working to save the Grand Coulee Dam

• traveling home to be with family

• celebrating his heritage

Which statement best sums up people’s expectations about the end of the world, as described in “A Song on the End of the World”?

• Many people expected it to be a boring event.

• Many people expected it to be a terrifying event.

• Many people expected it to be a dramatic event.

• Many people expected it to be a humorous event.

How does this quotation at the start of “the beginning of the end of the world” communicate one of the poem’s themes?

cockroach population possibly declining

—news report

• It predicts that cockroaches will die at the end of the world.

• It shows that the world might end unpredictably and with small changes.

• It shows the seriousness of the cockroach situation in the speaker's kitchen.

• It provides a scientific explanation for the events that occur in the poem.

Which of these expressions contains the clearest example of alliteration?

• early bird

• jump for joy

• asleep at the wheel

• while the sun is up